The Orchard in Harrogate

I took my mother and father for champagne afternoon tea on Friday. We were shown to our table which was by the pianola and we were freezing cold (the heating kept switching off apparently) and couldn’t hear each other over the music. Luckily the manager moved us to by the fire. We ordered hot chocolates, but they weren’t hot at all, tepid I’d say and our food took 50 mins to come! For sandwiches this seems ridiculous. The sandwiches, however, were very good, as were the scones and most of the cakes were lovely. But such a long wait and a freezing cold room other by the fire is not good for a 5 star hotel. Champagne was also only one glass included and then £30-70 for an additional glass!

We were so looking forward to our Boxing Day Lunch in The Orchard Restaurant, described as having a glamorous apres bar complete with luxurious decor and furnishings that ooze chalet chic.... unfortunately our party of 12, as the only guests in the large marquee did not experience that at all, no atmosphere whatsoever, a silent room. We were seated and our drinks order taken, pre-ordered food arrived to no accompaniments, when asked the waitress made it quite clear she wasn't happy to go back to the kitchen and we were made to feel we were an annoyance to her. The service was non existent, no one came to ask if we would like more drinks, pre-ordered dessert was never served, only when we returned to the bar did we ask about this and then menus were brought out - an utter shambles. The hotel did refund part of our bill but we wanted the experience and more importantly the memories to be made not a refund.

We met a close friend for coffee at Grantley Hall and this turned into a lunch date. We selected The Orchard, but the tented dining room was closed owing to the impact of Hurricane Lilian in August 2024. The hotel however did not miss a beat, and very professionally relocated The Orchard into one of the indoor rooms. I had a delicious burrata dish that was perfect for lunch, our friend had Three Cheese Arancini and my wife had a fish dish on a delicious bed of sweetcorn. The food was tremendous. Although nothing in Grantley Hall is cheap, you are carried along on a wave of pleasure in the place represented by the stupendous decor and the friendly professionalism of everyone who works there. Excellent.

Very disappointed. We dined as a family of three in the Orchard yesterday evening. The service was very poor despite several staff. They were chatting as a group most of The time. Poured our own wine. Table left dirty between courses. When asked if everything was okay we’d almost finished our meal. We don’t mind paying but expect more we have visited Grantley on a few occasions this maybe our last. £300 for self service in an empty fully staffed restaurant.

I have visited on a number of occasions. This time we had dinner in The Orchid restaurant. We went for a drink in the bar at Fletchers Restaurant first which was lovely but completely empty. We then went to the Orchid which again was so quiet with only 1 other table occupied. The food was delicious, although hugely overpriced at £48 for a fillet steak with a few chips and an extra £5 if you wanted peppercorn sauce. The service was unfortunately extremely slow for drinks even though the restaurant was empty.